Two Anne Arundel County police officers have been indicted in connection with a fatal crash in Pasadena from December 2023, according to officials.
Anne Arundel County Chief of Police Amal Awad said she was made aware of the indictment Friday.
After reviewing the available evidence with Anne Arundel County Police Department’s executive command staff, Awad released a statement Saturday.
“At this time, based on our review, we are not aware of any conduct demonstrated by our officers that rises to the level of a violation of criminal law,” Awad’s statement read. “We respect the judicial process, however, it is important to remind our community that an indictment is merely an accusation and not a finding of guilt, and our officers are presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Police say on Dec. 7, 2023, around 12:06 a.m., officers went to the intersection of Fort Smallwood Road at Bar Harbor Road in Pasadena for a single-vehicle crash.
A 2011 Infiniti G37 was traveling on Fort Smallwood Road when it left the roadway and struck a utility pole on Bar Harbor Road, according to officials.
The passenger, 22-year-old Damione Gardner, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, 23-year-old Meziah Johnson, was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The Attorney General’s office began an investigation due to two Anne Arundel Police officers being in pursuit at the time.
According to the office, an initial review of evidence indicated that a four-door sedan was traveling at a high rate of speed on the Stoney Creek drawbridge. The vehicle’s front lights were turned off.
Two Anne Arundel County Police Department patrol vehicles followed seconds behind the sedan, both traveling at high rates of speed without their emergency lights activated.
Shortly after the sedan and officers left the bridge, the sedan crashed into a utility pole at the intersection of Fort Smallwood and Bar Harbor Roads at approximately 12:06 a.m., officials said.
Two Anne Arundel County police officers, Corporal K. Schnell and Corporal E. Vasquez, were indicted and issued criminal summonses for misconduct in office as a result of the investigation conducted by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
Officials say on Monday that Attorney General Anthony Brown will be joined by his Independent Investigations Division to announce criminal indictments following an IID investigation in Anne Arundel County.